In South LA rapper PnB Rock’s murder, one man gets 31 years to life, another gets 12 years – Orange County Register

By Terri Vermeulen Keith

COMPTON — A man convicted of the robbery and shooting death of rapper PnB Rock at a South Los Angeles restaurant was sentenced Monday to just over 31 years to life in prison.

Superior Court Judge Connie R. Quinones denied defense motions for a new trial for Freddie Lee Trone or to overturn the jury’s murder verdict against the 42-year-old defendant in the Sept. 12, 2022, killing of the rapper.

The judge noted that Trone was “not the shooter” and did not enter Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles on West Manchester Avenue, but said “that doesn’t mean you’re not responsible.”

Trone was found guilty on August 7 of one count each of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery, as well as two counts of second-degree robbery involving the 30-year-old rapper and his fiancée, who were robbed of their jewelry.

Co-defendant Tremont Jones, 46, who was convicted of two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery – but was not charged with murder in the case – was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The defendants were charged along with Trone’s 17-year-old son, whose case is now before juvenile court.

The rapper’s mother, Deannea Allen, called her son “a bright light in our family,” saying he “was our Michael Jackson.”

“We’re all hurting, everyone, your family too,” the victim’s mother told the defendant, who stood behind his attorney in the Compton courtroom. “I really hope you repent and regret what you did.”

The rapper’s aunt, Aqueelah Brown, called her nephew’s death a “devastating loss,” saying “his life was taken in a senseless act of violence.”

“We are heartbroken and our lives will never be the same again,” she said.

In a statement read by Brown on his behalf, Brown’s niece wrote: “I really hope these thugs get everything they deserve… I really hope you suffer as much as we do.”

PnB Rock, real name Rakim Allen, was shot once in the chest and twice in the back by an assailant wearing a ski mask who demanded jewelry while the rapper and his girlfriend were having lunch.

Assistant District Attorney Timothy Richardson told the jury that Freddie Trone “sent his son to carry out a coordinated act to steal watches, rings and chains from an individual,” while defense attorney Winston McKesson countered that Freddie Trone’s teenage son acted independently of his father and that “the only conclusion consistent with justice is that Freddie Trone is not guilty of these charges.”

The prosecutor told jurors the motive for the crime was “about half a million dollars worth of jewelry,” saying Trone drove his son to and from the restaurant but never set foot in the business himself while the rapper was there.

Prosecutors alleged that Jones punched the rapper at the restaurant and then passed information to Trone about the jewelry the artist was wearing.

Richardson stressed how difficult it is to accept that a father could force his son to do this.

The prosecutor told jurors that Trone, his son and Jones “coordinated actions” that were “not coincidental.”

Trone vigorously maintained his innocence on the witness stand, telling jurors: “I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell anybody not to do anything.”

Trone testified that his son and his own vehicle were missing and that he later found his son in the vehicle with three other “youths.”

Trone’s attorney told jurors there was “no evidence of a conspiracy” to rob the rapper and accused investigators of deciding “who they thought was guilty” and “looking only for evidence that indicated guilt” while ignoring anything that indicated his client’s innocence.

“You have no evidence that my client planned anything,” McKesson said, telling jurors the prosecution’s goal was to make them “hate” Trone.

The defense attorney told reporters outside court that he believed his client would not have been charged with murder if he had not lived in the area and been African-American, saying he would have been charged as an accessory after the fact if it had happened in Beverly Hills.

After the verdict, McKesson told City News Service he was “disappointed” with the outcome of the trial and vowed that Trone would appeal his conviction.